Target Practice
by Auna
Summary: Futurefic Series #4: The next Brennik/Aeric adventure


Title: Target Practice  
  
Timeline: About 22 cycles after 4.22  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, except the original characters  
  
Summary: Next adventure with Brennik and Aeric. This is the fourth in a series. To catch up, start with Finding Herself, Death and Resurrection, then Revelations. All of which can be found at Fanfiction.net. Fair warning, if you have not read the previous stories, this will make absolutely NO sense.  
  
If you already know the story, but need a refresher: We found out that Sethya escaped from the Peacekeepers because he'd been convicted of murder and was waiting execution. Aeryn and John are finally together again.  
  
Authors Note: This was supposed to be part one of a larger story, but one of my beta readers asked me how this tied in with the bigger picture, and I realized that it didn't... at all. So, I decided to post it independently.  
  
Deserving Credit: A big thank you to scrubschick and ScaperRed for wonderful input and for not letting me take shortcuts.  
  
Thank you to Sanchez who was my creative and tactical consultant when I cried about my beta's insisting I was taking shortcuts. I forgive you for not knowing anything about Farscape.  
  
And thank you to uisceboo, who won my noisey food challenge over at the commerce planet.  
  
All right. Enough with this mushy dren, here's Target Practice.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
He sat in the maintenance bay cleaning his pulse pistols, idly talking with Tean as his brother conducted routine maintenance on Shadow. Aeric sat across the table listening to the banter, watching Sethya expertly manipulating the weapons. They really didn't need the care, but it kept him busy, his mind off the forced inactivity. Concentrating on teaching the boy proper nomenclature terms for the parts of a pistol diverted his attention from the burning in his gut where Brennik had reached in to pull out the broken knife blade.  
  
Brennik-- the bane of his existence. He was a soldier, a ruthless killer. He didn't need, nor could he afford, emotional attachments. Unsurprisingly, she chose that moment to enter. It figured, ever since her tirade in the infirmary, every time his thoughts turned to her, she managed to show up. He needed to quit thinking of her.  
  
"Oh, good," she said, eyeing the weapons. "I figured it was time to learn in earnest. I really didn't pay attention during my last lessons. Will you teach me?"  
  
"Tean," Sethya called. "Come give a shooting lesson." She'd like that. Despite what Tean said, Sethya knew she preferred his brother's attention to his own.  
  
Enthusiastically, his counterpart left his maintenance work and picked up a pistol, pulling Brennik with him to a makeshift firing line. Aeric scrambled to set up a homemade target and returned to the table to watch the proceedings.  
  
Sethya was appalled. Tean handed Brennik the pistol and told her to aim and shoot. When she missed the target completely, he stood behind her, his arms encircling hers, 'helping' her hold the weapon as he laid his chin on her shoulder. Sethya couldn't hear what Tean was whispering in the way of instructions, but he wasn't surprised when she missed her next shot as well.  
  
"Are you teaching her to shoot or to recreate?" he asked sarcastically, and then felt guilty when he saw her blush. No doubt she wouldn't mind either instruction, but he'd be frelled if he sat there watching Tean seducing her.  
  
"Look, if you think you can do better, get over here and teach her yourself."  
  
"No, it's ok," Brennik said, looking discouraged. "I guess I'm just not good at this."  
  
Disgusted, Sethya stood, trying to hide his grimace as pain shot through his mid-section. If he was lucky, maybe he was bleeding internally and would die soon. Shooing Tean out of the way he took the pulse pistol from Brennik's hands, missing the wink his brother threw at her before he sauntered over to the table to watch.  
  
"This is the barrel," he said, pointing to the top of the weapon. "On the barrel are three bumps, two in the back, one in the front."  
  
"Yeah, I saw those. I thought they were decorations."  
  
He was speechless for a microt before he forced himself to exhibit patience. Personally, he was proud of himself for not bursting out in laughter. She'd storm out and never learn how to shoot properly. "Actually, it is your sight alignment, and they are very important. Here," he said, handing the weapon back to her. "Let me see you sight your weapon." At her blank look he clarified. "Look down the barrel, aiming at your target." She did as he instructed. "Can you see all three bumps?" She shook her head no. "Adjust your weapon until you see the front sight alignment between the back two."  
  
"I got it!" she exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"Good; now when you aim, place your target in front of the front sight alignment, then make sure all three are even across the top and the front one is directly in the middle of the back two."  
  
"Ok, I'm centered."  
  
He doubted it, but she would get better with practice. Standing behind her, he hunched over, hands on knees, trying to see her view. He wasn't touching her, but he was close enough to smell her. Just what he needed, another distraction. The position tore at his insides, but this was the closest he was ever going to get to her, so he ignored the pain and forged on. "Now, place your finger on the trigger." She did as told. "There's part of your problem, your finger is too far across the trigger. Don't use your knuckle, but back off and use the pad of your finger. There you go. Your shots will always pull right if you do it the other way. Now breathe in, then halfway out- hold it and fire, then release your breath. And when you fire, squeeze the trigger- don't pull it."  
  
"Got it. Breathe, hold, squeeze--don't pull. No problem."  
  
"You can do this. Take your time, watch your sight alignment."  
  
The men in the maintenance bay collectively held their breaths as she sighted. She took her time and the tension mounted. Aeric leaned forward in anticipation, seeing how nervous she looked but desperately wanting her to do well. Finally, a shot rang throughout and pierced the edge of her target.  
  
"I did it, I did it, I did it! I hit the target! Can you believe it? What a rush! No wonder you guys love firing these things. It's a total feeling of power and control."  
  
"Lucky shot," Tean teased.  
  
"No," Sethya displayed his lack of humor. "She's a natural." He turned to her. "You need to keep practicing. Moving targets are harder to hit, but the only way you'll get a feel for that is by actually doing it. Hopefully, you'll never have a need." Everyone wore a 'yeah, right' look, but he chose to ignore them. "Just remember the basics. Take your time, sight the weapon, watch your breathing."  
  
Speaking of breathing reminded him how difficult that function was right now. He needed to sit. He casually walked to his chair and slid down, disguising his relief with a bored yawn. "Multiple shots are easier. Once you target and fire the pistol, the recoil will jerk your hand upwards slightly. If you relax, all you need to do is drop your hand back to its natural point of aim and you should still be on target. Try it. Fire three shots consecutively."  
  
Again the maintenance bay hushed as she aimed and fired three times. All three shots were grouped next to each other, making it difficult to tell them apart. "See? I told you. You are a natural." He was getting to the point he needed to lay down, but his pride kept him from admitting his weakness. He missed her triumphant cheer, and when she ran at him he was unprepared for the violent bear hug. He felt her arms around him and as he blacked out his final thought betrayed him, grateful he could die in Brennik's arms.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"I found your dirty little secret," a soft voice whispered against his ear, pulling him from the comforting void he'd hidden in. "And I fixed it, despite your death-wish. So you might as well get used to the idea of living, because I will keep sewing you up as many times as it takes. In the immortal words of a very great man- 'get over it.'" Warm breath tickled, and he thought he'd had the fleeting sensation of soft lips grazing his ear during the little speech.  
  
His brief moment of lucidity faded away and he fell into a natural slumber, back to his familiar haunting dream.  
  
*Her blond hair cascaded over his shoulders as he held her weeping body close to his heart. Her beautiful blue eyes had been red rimmed and puffy, both from the crying and the angry purple bruises that now dominated her young face. She trusted him as she desperately clutched his shoulders and sobbed her story. As he gently rocked (her), he whispered comforting, soothing words that promised he would take care of her, that everything would be ok; impotent, naïve promises he had been unable to fulfill. As he cried with her, the young beauty slowly faded until his arms were empty, the loss made more poignant by her weeping voice he still heard in the air surrounding him.*  
  
Even as he slept, he knew it was a dream, and wished he could return to the inky void he'd been ripped from.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
"You guys are gonna love this movie," John announced as he loaded the DVD into the player, turning on the giant television screen.  
  
"I still say we should watch the 'Rocky' series," D'Argo complained.  
  
"If you watch that without Chiana, she'll rip one of your tentacles off."  
  
"This is a waste of time," Sethya grumbled from his position on the bed, specially dragged into the room for the occasion.  
  
"You keep your mouth shut and sit still. If you rip any more stitches, Brennik is going to blame me and take it outta my hide. I promised her I'd baby-sit for the day, and you will do what you're told. Besides, none of us have anything better to do while the women are gone, so we WILL enjoy this."  
  
"They shouldn't have gone alone," Sethya growled, refusing to drop his bad mood.  
  
"Seth, my boy, you have a lot to learn about these women. I'm not thrilled about it either, but they are capable of watching out for themselves. Not to mention the fact that they would have made life a living hell if we'd tried to stop them."  
  
"And then they would have gone anyway," D'Argo agreed.  
  
"What did they say they were doing?" Tean asked from his pillows on the floor.  
  
"Target practice," Aeric supplied.  
  
"They could have done that here," Sethya mumbled.  
  
"Seth, you just don't get it yet, do you? You will. But everyone shut up now, the movie is starting," John shushed them and found a space on the floor near a bowl of what could only be described as orange and purple peanut brittle pieces with attitude. "Man, I miss popcorn. A movie just isn't a movie without popcorn," he said fingering the Neagetsh.  
  
"Hey, Dad, what does that say?"  
  
D'Argo closed his eyes and began to recite, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."  
  
"That's great, uncle D. When did you learn to read English?"  
  
"I didn't. That is how many times I have seen this frelling movie. Chiana insists on reading these beginnings every time."  
  
A loud, reverberating crunching noise interrupted them and all eyes turned to Crichton. "I really miss my popcorn," he said around a mouthful of the snack before chewing the rest, each bite slowly fading in volume as it disintegrated in his mouth before he finally swallowed.  
  
"These Jedi Knights, they keep order in your society?" Tean asked.  
  
"No, this is only a movie-- pretend, entertainment. A story to pass the time. Just, develop an imagination and watch."  
  
"It's a waste of time," Sethya mumbled again. But John noticed the invalid's eyes were riveted to the screen and he leaned a little closer as if trying to hear better.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Brennik felt the soft breeze playing with her hair, felt the snug fit of a holster strapped to her thigh and hip, looked over at Chiana and Aeryn talking and eating as they sat next to her on the fallen log, and she knew this would always remain one of the best days of her life. The meadow in which they relaxed was surrounded by green and orange trees, contrasting against the brilliant blue sky. Noranti was a little distance away, picking flowers and occasionally stuffing one in her mouth to test for flavor.  
  
"Hey," Aeryn nudged her daughter's side with an elbow, looking at her expectantly.  
  
"I was just thinking how peaceful it is here. It makes me a little nostalgic for the farm. Don't ever tell Dad I admitted that."  
  
Aeryn nodded with understanding. "When I was little, we had field exercises in a place similar to this."  
  
"You're remembering more and more, aren't you?" she asked her mother.   
  
"Bits and pieces. Mostly they come as impressions, small snatches of time. I remember holding a chubby baby in my arms, leaning down to kiss her soft cheek and feeling wonder. You were a beautiful baby." Aeryn's smile faded slightly, regret burning in her eyes. "But the rest is gone."  
  
Brennik, choked up, could barely reply. "At least you remember me." Aeryn reached over and patted her shoulder, awkwardly offering unaccustomed affection. They smiled at each other in a moment of understanding.   
  
Chiana decided to lighten the mood. "So, have you frelled him yet?" Both women looked at her in horror. "Oh come on," she said to Aeryn. "I've seen you. Every time he's walking away from you, you're staring at his eema. Not that I blame you, he's got a nice one. Real tight, even for an old man."  
  
Brennik was grateful Chiana hadn't been talking to her, but she was decidedly uncomfortable listening to a discussion about her dad's rear end. Aeryn's face was red, but she answered the question seriously. "Actually, it's his shoulders that really does it."  
  
"Yeah," Chiana said dreamily. "D'Argo has nice wide shoulders too; strong, capable." She shivered thinking about it.  
  
"Running your hands over them as his arms are holding you," Aeryn said wistfully, staring into space.  
  
Chiana slowly sucked in air, nodding her head. "Ooohhhh, yeah."  
  
"I can't believe you two," Brennik said, cheeks pink, as she laughed to cover her embarrassment.  
  
Both women looked at her innocently. "What?" Chiana asked.  
  
"You sound like a couple of school girls. How would you feel if they sat around discussing your breast size and how they felt?"  
  
Aeryn looked a little uncomfortable, but Chiana merely shrugged. "So? It's a fact of life, Brennik. At least we appreciate our men. One of the greatest gifts in life is when your man can satisfy your lusts."  
  
"I don't think I want to have a discussion about your lusts," Brennik declared.  
  
"What you need is a good frell," Chiana decided. "Jump Tean when we get back, he'd cooperate."  
  
"No. Thank you. You know, I'm going to go find Noranti." Brennik escaped the uncomfortable conversation to help the old woman.  
  
Shrugging, Chiana went back to her first question. "Well, Aeryn, have you?"  
  
Aeryn shrugged, half smiling. The Nebari took that as a yes and smiled broadly. "Was it good?"  
  
"Actually, that's the problem. It was too good."  
  
"No such thing," Chiana stated, shaking her head.  
  
"He remembers everything about me. And when I say everything, I mean [i]everything[/i]. He knows things about my body I wouldn't have guessed at. But here I am, still trying to learn about him. It puts me at a disadvantage."  
  
"He's just so excited to have you back, I doubt he's realized you haven't caught up with him yet," Chiana reassured.  
  
"Do you think so?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
"So, what do you think they find to talk about on their girl's day out?" Tean asked idly, eyes glued to the view of light sabers flying through the air.  
  
"Us," D'Argo and John's voice harmonized with the instant response. Neither bothered to even look away from the screen, and John threw another snack into his mouth, crunching loudly.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"All right," Brennik said rejoining them. "I've heard enough about my father's sex life to last me a lifetime. I thought we were here to shoot."  
  
Chiana smirked. "Just wait, Nixa. You'll be willing to talk soon enough."  
  
A large boulder near the edge of the clearing served to hold the targets. After attaching them, they marked off several paces and stood in a line, ready to fire. Chiana counted to three and the women each took a shot.  
  
The ground began to shake and an audible wail began emanating from the forest. Chiana suddenly fell through the ground beneath her followed by Aeryn and then Brennik. The young woman felt the sensation of falling, but could see nothing through the inky blackness that had enveloped her.   
  
Then she realized she wasn't falling, but sliding with dirt and gravel until finally, she was dropped to the ground. Landing on her feet first, then her rear, she was knocked sideways from the impact and ended up sprawled on a hard, rough surface. All of the air had been expelled from her lungs and she spent a moment ignoring the black void, simply trying to breathe.  
  
"Brennik, Chiana," her mother's no-nonsense voice called from behind her.  
  
"Here," she wheezed.  
  
"What the frell happened?" the Nebari asked from beside her.  
  
"I don't know," Aeryn answered. "One microt we were firing, the next I was falling."  
  
A long low hiss could be heard quickly approaching and the wail from the trees above enveloped them with pain and sorrow. A soft whisper filled their hearts and they had to concentrate to understand the soft question.  
  
An agonized "Why?" reverberated a thousand times around them, seemingly bouncing off unseen walls to return with strength and desperation.  
  
"Why are we here?" Aeryn asked their invisible captor.  
  
"Why... hurt... us?" moaned their distorted reply.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"We... share... ourselves. You... hurt... us." The answer came, piercing them over and over again as the message danced around them, through them.  
  
"Who are you? How did we hurt you?" Brennik asked.  
  
"We... are... us. You... shoot... us. We... share... you... hurt... us."  
  
"We're sorry, we didn't know!" Brennik called. "We wouldn't have fired if we knew we were hurting someone. Please, if you let us go, we'll leave you in peace."  
  
"Cannot," replied the whisper. "Did... not... trap."  
  
"What do you mean, 'did not trap'? You sucked us down here. Can't you just spit us back out?"  
  
"Hurt... Reflex... Cannot." The three words reverberated, echoing, each overlapping each other until the momentum died and all three women sat in silent darkness.  
  
"So this is our own fault," Chiana stated uselessly.  
  
"Evidently," Aeryn agreed.  
  
"So if this creature we've been swallowed by can't or won't help us, how do we get out? Especially if we can't see?" Brennik asked pragmatically.  
  
"Not with the comms. They were the first thing I tested." Aeryn still had the mind of a soldier; efficient, logical.  
  
"I hate the dark," Chiana said, breathing deeply. "I spent three cycles blind before D'Argo found a diagnosian that could heal me."  
  
"Chiana, you are not going blind again. We will find a way out of this." Aeryn assured.  
  
"What we need is some light," Brennik fumed.   
  
No sooner were the words in the air than a shower of rocks, pebbles and dirt gently rained down on them until a hole appeared high above their heads, letting in a shaft of light that revealed a large cavern. Their light source, and now the only exit, hung ominously high above them, the only access a steep rock wall.  
  
"Thank you!" Chiana called. Quietly she added, "At least it's not vindictive."  
  
"Yeah, but how are we going to climb that wall?" Brennik asked.  
  
"I can do it," Aeryn said with certainty.  
  
"The last time you went rock climbing you broke your leg," Chiana argued.  
  
"That was not my fault. I would have been fine it hadn't been for that idiot, Dregon."  
  
"You remember?" Chiana asked.  
  
"Yes! I do!" Aeryn exclaimed with excited concentration. "I was rock climbing because John was getting married." Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. John was getting married *to someone else*."  
  
"Bits and pieces," Chiana reminded her. "There's more to the story."  
  
"There had better be," Aeryn declared ominously.  
  
"Possible broken leg or no," Brennik interrupted, "we're going to have to try."  
  
"So we climb," Aeryn restated. All three women let out a collective sigh and faced the wall with determination.  
  
"We can do this," Chiana said, more to herself than her companions. "Easy."  
  
Aeryn began the ascent, followed by Brennik and Chiana. Progress was slow and often clumps of dirt were loosened to shower over the climbers below. Each hand and foot-hold was precarious and the women were tired and thirsty. Brennik estimated they were halfway up the wall when Noranti's face peered over the edge. She assumed it was Noranti, all she could see was a silhouette.  
  
"There you are," the old woman exclaimed. "When did you decide to go rock climbing?"  
  
"When shooting was no longer an option," Brennik mumbled, only to be shushed by Aeryn.  
  
"Grandma, get a rope from the transport," Chiana called.  
  
"Won't that defeat the purpose of climbing the rocks?"  
  
"No, Noranti," Aeryn said with remarkable patience, "it's part of the exercise. Go get the rope. Please."  
  
The silhouette disappeared and the three stayed sprawled against the rock wall, reminiscent of four legged spiders, unwilling to move.  
  
"I'm getting a cramp," Brennik stated.  
  
"As your father is fond of saying, 'suck it up'," Chiana murmured unsympathetically.  
  
"You'll be 'sucking it up' if I lose my grip and land on you. We'll both hit the ground about the same time, I think."  
  
"Both of you stop it," Aeryn ordered just before the end of a rope hit her face, tickling her nose as it hung in the air above her. "You'll have to climb higher," she told her companions before beginning to scale the rope, hand over hand until she reached the top. Noranti helped her over the edge and she turned to find Brennik now at the bottom of the rope. "Tie it around your waist," she instructed.  
  
Brennik obeyed and the two women began pulling her to the surface. A low rumbling emitted from beneath them and the ground began to shake. "I'm losing my grip!" Chiana shouted above the noise in panic.  
  
"Hold on!" Brennik called, trying to reach down far enough to grab her friend. Chiana stretched her arm as far as possible and the two women linked fingers just as the wall beneath her crumbled. Brennik adjusted her grip so that she now had Chiana firmly in her grasp, the two women clutching each other's interlocking wrists. Together, they hung from the rope tied around Brennik's waist. "Mom will have us out in a second," she tried to reassure her friend.  
  
No sooner were the words out of her mouth when ground began closing in around them, their exit closing off, and blackness descended once more. Brennik continued to hold on to the Nebari, the combined weight causing the rope to cinch tightly around her waist, restricting her breathing. She felt as if she was being cut in two.  
  
If something wasn't done soon, they would be buried alive. Dust filled her throat and stung her eyes. Dirt crunched in her teeth and she wondered if she survived if she'd ever be able to get the taste of moldy soil out of her mouth.  
  
She felt herself rising, and she took comfort in the fact that her mother was safe and would not stop until they were rescued. Her back hit solid dirt and she realized she was going to have to find a way to dig upward. Still holding onto Chiana, she pushed away from the ceiling with her legs until she hung upside down. With her feet she clawed desperately at the blockage, sending an outpouring of earth over her companion. Chiana started coughing violently, making it hard for Brennik tokeep the secure connection between the two.  
  
The ground above her fell away, and as she was slowly pulled upward she continued to dig with her feet. She was losing her grip and she was terrified she would lose Chiana into the void, but a strong pair of hands grasped her ankles and pulled her through the last section of ground. Her loose tunic was pulled over her head as she emerged backward into daylight.   
  
So desperate was she to hold onto Chiana, she didn't register that both women had been pulled to safety until her mother shouted at her as she removed the rope. "Brennik, let go of Chiana!"  
  
Realizing they were no longer underground, Brennik began taking in huge gulps of refreshing air. Never before had a breeze felt so refreshing. All three were covered in a thick layer of silty, clinging dust that mingled with the blood from numerous scratches and cuts. Their hair was ratted and salted with dried grass and roots. The left shoulder of Aeryn's shirt was torn. Brennik and Chiana's clothes were in tatters.   
  
Chiana pulled a dirt clog out of her cleavage. Brennik hocked the biggest dirt-filled loogey she could form with the limited amount of moisture in her mouth. Aeryn examined the angry red line around Brennik's waist, gently probing her ribs for damage. Noranti fluttered around them like a lost butterfly, trying to check for damage, but getting shooed away.  
  
Finally, tired, thirsty, dirty and sore, they slowly began to limp their way back to their transport. One metra away from their destination a large rock suddenly jutted up in their path, just in time for Aeryn to catch her ankle on the object and fall gracelessly to the ground. "What did you say about vindictive?" Brennik asked Chiana as they helped the injured warrior to her feet.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
An obese, giant slug was laughing menacingly on the screen when John saw the three bedraggled women pass the door from the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he jumped up but all questions were immediately silenced when Aeryn, arms around the shoulders of her two companions, held up her dirt-smudged hand refusing to look at him. Chiana and Brennik, with the dignity of royalty, hobbled past the room and the men with their cargo. They dropped Aeryn onto her bed before disappearing into their own quarters only to fall face first onto their beds. All three were asleep in microts.  
  
Sighing, John and D'Argo each missed the end of their movie as they quietly and gently did their best to make their women more comfortable, reluctantly accepting Noranti's medical assistance. Sometimes the old witch came in useful. 


End file.
